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Thursday, August 5, 2010

Book Reviews

This is a highly unsatisfying post, since one book I did not like very much, and one I'm not quite finished with. Sometimes it happens.

Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
I liked this book exactly as much as I thought I would. I apologize to the Pulitzer committee. Was it well written? Absolutely. Historically accurate? As far as I know. Something a large portion of the population would enjoy? Most definitely. Me? Nuh uh.

Why didn't I like this? For 3 very important reasons. 1) I know how Gettysburg turned out. No surprises there. 2) I watched the movie Glory, which is pretty true to the book. 3) I just don't like war books.

If you like war books, and don't mind knowing how things are going to end, go for it. Just not my cup of tea.
Grade: C

The Jester by James Patterson & Andrew Gross
Full disclosure: I have not finished this book yet. Why? I was actually listening to a book on tape in the car during our long road trip, and once at home, it's hard to convince yourself to put on the CD's, when there are paper books at hand.

HOWEVER, I like this book so far. It speaks to the politics behind the crusades, and one man's individual tribulations after his lord seeks to punish him for abandoning his serf-ship (is that a word?) to go fight. He returns to find that his wife and son have been murdered and enters the court of the evil lord as a jester to reek havoc. Entertaining, though gruesome at times.

The oddest note I have about this book is that, once again, I have more sympathy with animals dying than humans. I suppose this was true in Killer Angels, too, because I found the horses dying on the battlefield heart-wrenching. I don't know why I have the tendency to over-connect with the animals, but not the humans. Perhaps that it would just touch too close to home to connect to the humans as well? I can't answer this. I just know that this was even true as a child when I wasn't able to make it through Bambi or White Fang because I was too upset by the mother deer dying and the dog fighting scenes.